Aqueous dispersions of epoxy resins have been known for many years. However, the performance of these dispersions as elements of coatings has been viewed as inferior to their solvent borne counterparts. It is known that the surfactants employed to render the epoxy component emulsifiable such as nonylphenol ethoxylates, alkylphenol initiated poly(oxyethylene) ethanols, alkylphenol initiated poly(oxypropylene) poly(oxyethylene) ethanols, and block copolymers containing an internal poly(oxypropylene) block and two external poly(oxyethylene) ethanol blocks readily migrate to surface interfaces where, it is speculated, they deleteriously affect film performance.
Further as aqueous dispersions of epoxy resins have become more widely used in industry, improved handling properties such as storage stability, uniformity, small particle size, higher inversion temperature, viscosity reproducibility, and ease of transferring the dispersions become more desirable. Therefore, there is a growing need for aqueous dispersions of epoxy resins that have improved, user friendly handling properties.